Frank Deford, USA-Today and others sound off about soccer

On a board for sports journalists, I won't irritate you all with what I have thought about Mr. deford's work over the last decade. When I was a kid, he was amazing, as shown in any number of sports journalism anthologies. Let's just say I think he's seen better days, especially as much of his work now consists of lauding old-school athletes he identifies as "friends" and pining for an age long past. Yes, I know he has done more than most people will ever do in this business.

So these quotes (from a USA Today story) don't surprise me. In a way, they're hilarious. VERY old-school sounding, and not in a good way. The story was actually quite interesting, with views from all sides.Â
â€œSoccer in America has had every chance. We reject soccer, that’s
fair to say,â€ says sports pundit Frank Deford, who is happy to lay
out the reasons soccer causes him to hold his nose.
â€œThere’s not enough scoring, and ties make no sense,â€ Deford
says.
But Deford isn’t finished. â€œThere’s really a lack of proficiency
in the game. God didn’t intend for us to use our feet and our
heads. Though what soccer players do with their feet and their
heads is extraordinary, it is in the same way that spinning plates
is extraordinary.â€
And don’t get him started on soccer’s offside rule, which prevents
attacking players from standing any closer to the opposing goal
than the other team’s last defender.
â€œThat’s simply un-American,â€ Deford says. â€œWe’re all about
forward, forward, forward, in sports and in our society. From the
19th century onward, we have not taken to soccer. It’s almost as
if it’s not in our DNA to like it.â€
â€œKids in this country may grow up playing soccer, but most seem to
stop playing it fairly early in life because they lose interest,â€
Deford says. â€œIn the end, that proves that it’s a game that’s not
to the taste of our top athletes.â€

God didn’t intend for us to use our feet and our
heads. Though what soccer players do with their feet and their
heads is extraordinary, it is in the same way that spinning plates
is extraordinary.â€

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What the hell does that mean? So, we aren't meant to run? All this story does is make him sound like an uneducated idiot, who has no tolerance for any sports but baseball, basketball and football. Also, I know hockey is a Canadian sport, but apparently Americans hate that as well because of the offsides call.

Not to start anything here, but exactly which of Mr. Deford's remarks offend you? Which assertion is inaccurate, within the range of personal opinion? And in what way do his thoughts, or his presentation of them, differ from those of any number of other "why the US doesn't love soccer" pieces?

Not to start anything here, but exactly which of Mr. Deford's remarks offend you? Which assertion is inaccurate, within the range of personal opinion? And in what way do his thoughts, or his presentation of them, differ from those of any number of other "why the US doesn't love soccer" pieces?

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Hope you're not talking to me. I never said I was "offended" by anything he said. Call it "amusement."

Not to start anything here, but exactly which of Mr. Deford's remarks offend you? Which assertion is inaccurate, within the range of personal opinion? And in what way do his thoughts, or his presentation of them, differ from those of any number of other "why the US doesn't love soccer" pieces?

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Hope you're not talking to me. I never said I was "offended" by anything he said. Call it "amusement."

Frank Deford is saying what people have said for years and years. And years.

The one thing I'ven't heard anyone complain about is how ridiculous it is that the howling player who gets fouled (after taking a dive) isn't always the one that takes the penalty kick. That's as retarded as sending Kobe to the line when Shaq gets fouled in the paint.